It's Crawfish Season — Here are Some Options

With spring and summer comes crawfish season, and several restaurants are getting in on the action early, hosting April crawfish boils or introducing crawfish themed specials around town. Add in the handful of restaurants which serve crawfish year-round, and crustacean lovers have quite a few options to choose from if they want to sample the Louisiana favorite. Here are some events and menu items Eater has noticed appearing on area menus. Have any other favorites? Share them in the comments.

· Acadiana will be hosting a crawfish boil party on Friday, April 12 on their patio, which just got a facelift. Tickets are $40 in advance or $45 at the door, and part of the proceeds will go to benefit Louisiana and New Orleans music and culture. It's an all-you-can-eat affair with spice boiled crawfish, andouille sausage and more.

· Bayou Bakery will be doing a number of crawfish boils this season. The first is scheduled for April 20. Chef David Guas will serve the critters with corn, potatoes and beer.

· Pearl Dive Oyster Palace has its first crawfish boil of the season slated for April 6. There's crawfish, roast suckling pig, peel and eat shrimp and more, along with beers from Abita Brewing Company. The events are $65 per person.

· The Gryphon just opened in Dupont Circle this month. Head there, and you can sample a crawfish mac and cheese for $10.

· Hot 'N' Juicy Crawfish is one of D.C.'s main options for year-round crawfish (particularly since The Cajun Experience closed down last summer. Here, customers can order crawfish by the pound, and customize their seasonings.

· Meanwhile, there's a suburban crawfish option in Chasin' Tails, located right near the East Falls Church metro. Customers can also customize their orders of crawfish according to their threshold for spice.

· Art & Soul is bringing back its Sunday Suppers this spring. The first is being held on April 13, and Louisiana crawfish sauce and ramp grits are being served alongside roasted veal shoulder.

· H Street's TruOrleans has a couple of crawfish dishes on the menu right now, including Fertitta's Crawfish & Crab Pistolettes and a crawfish etouffe.

· Here's a new one — over at Bayou, try out a Crawfish & Andouille Sausage Cheesecake as an appetizer, or find the crustacean in a crawfish butter served with steak, and as part of a bouillabaisse.

· In a hurry? A crawfish etouffe is among the soup options at New Orleans Po' Boy Shop downtown.